The Hamilton Tiger-Cats head to the West Coast to face the BC Lions in CFL action on Saturday night.
The Ticats are 3-6 this season and are fresh off their most embarrassing performance by falling to the previously winless Elks. The 7-3 Leos are also coming off a defeat after coming up short against the Riders.
Oddsmakers expect the Leos to bounce back however with CFL betting lines opening with them as 10.5-point home favorites. Here are my best free CFL picks and predictions for Tiger-Cats vs. Lions on August 26.
Tiger-Cats vs Lions best odds
Tiger-Cats vs Lions picks and predictions
Just when you thought that things couldn't get worse for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, they managed to lose by two touchdowns at home to the lowly Edmonton Elks last week.
Starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and veteran backup Matthew Shiltz continue to be sidelined by injuries, which puts a lot of pressure on rookie third-string passer Taylor Powell. Powell has thrown three interceptions without a single touchdown in three starts, and he's been reliant on check-down passes that inflate his completion percentage but rarely move the chains.
Although the interior of Hamilton's offensive line has been solid, the Ticats have struggled in pass blocking on the edge where tackles Joel Figueroa and Tyrone Riley have been injured virtually all season. That's bad news against a BC Lions stop unit that allows just 7.2 yards per pass attempt and is anchored by end Mathieu Betts, who leads the CFL with 11 sacks.
On the other side of the ball, the Ticats haven't been able to generate much pressure themselves and are coming off a game against a terrible Elks offensive line where they had a shocking 0.0% pass-rush win rate per Pro Football Focus. That poor pass rush — combined with shaky coverage — has resulted in Hamilton ranking second last in the CFL in yards allowed per pass (10.1) and opponent pass efficiency rating (103.4).
They haven't been any better against the run, giving up 126.4 rushing yards per game on 5.4 yards per carry. When you consider all of that, it's no surprise that Hamilton has surrendered a league-high 27.6 points per game and will likely get lit up by an explosive BC attack featuring Vernon Adams Jr. and a plethora of dynamic weapons.
While the Lions are coming off their third loss of the season, they bounced back from their previous two defeats with dominant victories against Montreal and Calgary. Expect them to do the same against a reeling Ticats squad.
My best bet: Lions -10 (-110 at DraftKings)
Tiger-Cats vs Lions same-game parlay
Taylor Powell u235.5 passing yards (-114)
James Butler u49.5 rushing yards (-114)
Tiger-Cats team total u16.5 (+104)
Although DraftKings has the best available line on the Lions, FanDuel has significantly higher player prop numbers and the ability to parlay them together.
The O/U on Powell's passing yards number is just 217.5 on DraftKings but is 235.5 at FanDuel. Despite negative game scripts in each of his last two games, Powell threw for fewer than 220 yards in those contests and now faces a Lions defense that allows a league-low 7.2 yards per pass attempt.
Former Lions running back James Butler is coming off a terrific performance for the Ticats in Week 11. However, it's no coincidence that his only two good games this year have been against Edmonton. If Hamilton falls behind early in this one, expect Butler to be phased out of the offensive game plan.
The O/U on his rushing yards is set at 42.5 at DraftKings but is installed at 49.5 at FanDuel, making the Under ripe for the picking. Since we're fading both Hamilton's passing and rushing attacks, let's just go one short step further and take the Under on the Ticats team total.
After all, they haven't eclipsed 16 points in any of their last four games.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Tiger-Cats vs Lions spread and Over/Under analysis
This line hit the board with the Lions at -10 and the O/U at 46, and neither number has seen much movement as of Friday afternoon.
The Lions are coming off an upset loss to the Roughriders where they tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter but fell just short. That said, they are poised for a bounce-back performance at BC Place where they are 7-0 straight up and 6-0-1 against the spread in their last seven games.
Meanwhile, the Ticats lost 24-10 to the Elks last Thursday. They are 3-7 SU and ATS in their last 10 games and all of those defeats have come by double-digits.
With the Ticats unable to put up points with Powell under center, the Under has cashed in their last four games. The Lions have generally been shutting down mediocre offenses this season, although they were shredded by Riders third-string QB Jake Dolegala last week.
Tiger-Cats vs Lions trend to know
The Lions are 6-0 ATS in their last six games following a SU loss. Find more CFL betting trends for Tiger-Cats vs. Lions.
Tiger-Cats vs Lions game info
| Location: | BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC |
| Date: | Saturday, August 26, 2023 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
Tiger-Cats vs Lions key injuries
Tiger-Cats: Duke Williams WR (Questionable), Bo Levi Mitchell QB (Out), Matthew Shiltz QB (Out), Joel Figueroa LT (Out), Tyrone Riley OT (Out), Ja'Gared Davis DE (Out).
Lions: Dominique Rhymes WR (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.
